Educational game



Sept. 1, 1925 M. H. MAGAR EDUCATIONAL GAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed ann 15, 1923 '41. ELLSWSTON 7 NATIONAL FA KK NATURLBRIDGE DESERTLAND ,m gb 4- w A NOR/VH5.

Patented Sept. l, i925.

UNITED STATES 1,551,895 PATENT OFFICE.

MARDIOS H. MAGAR, 0F IRVINGTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO ALDERMAN, FAIR- OHILD COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

nnuca'rromin GAME.

Application filed March 15, 1923. Serial No. 625,226.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARDi'os H. MAGAR, a subject of the King of Greece, and a resident of Irvington, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements .in Educational Games, of which the following is a skill of the player in selecting the best one .of said paths for movement of his gamepiece.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a game of this character embodying novel features which will provide amusement in testing the skill of the players andat the same time serve educationally by impressing upon the minds of the players certain facts, principles, conditions, etc. The invention consists in general of a gameboard provided with a plurality of paths having common starting and finishing points and each connecting a plurality of intermediate points each of which indicates or represents a certain fact," principle, condition, etc., and a plurality of game-pieces are provided one for each player to be moved over any path selected by the player, the winner of the game being the one who touches the largest number of intermediate points between the starting and finishing v points.

More particularly the object of the invention is to provide a game of the character described to teach the players certain features of the geography of the United States of America, particularly the names and loca tions of the States and the capitals thereof and the characters and industries of said States. I

For the purpose of illustrating the principles-of my invention, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings a game-board comprising a map of the United States having a plurality of paths inscribed thereon each connecting a plurality of points representing the capital cities of a. plurality of States, with a plurality of game-pieces for movement over said paths, but it will be I understood that it iswithin the scope of the invention to utilize game-boards of other designs having different paths in which the points indicate or represent differentv facts, principles, conditions, etc., without departing from the spirit-or scope of the invention.

Referring to said drawings in which the same characters of reference designate corresponding and like parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a plan view of one-half of a game-board or playing surface embodying my invention showing one of the gamepieces in play, in dotted lines;

Figure 1 is a similar View of the other portion of the game-board;

Figure 2 is a plan view of one of the gamepieces, and

. Figure 3 is a side elevation of a gamepiece.

In the specific embodiment of the invention shown on the drawings, the reference character A designates a game-board or support the playing surface of which is pro-- vided in any suitable manner, as by printing, witha map of the United States of America, said map showing .the boundaries of the respective States and the names thereof. A plurality of small circles or dots 1 are provided on the map, said circles or dots representing in the present instance the capital cities of the respective States, and the said dots are connected by a plurality of lines 2. The said lines provide a plurality of different paths of movement for game-pieces 3, eachof said paths. including a plurality of points 1. The starting and finishing points for the ameieces may be either California and ew ork, or'Minnesota. and Louisiana, and the object of the game is to move a game-piece over a path between the starting and finishing points which will include the largest number of points 1. It will be observed that all of the plurality of different paths thus have common starting and finishing points, and that a plurality of the lines 2 meet at each point 1 so that a path of movement for the game-pieces is provided between each point 1 and each of a plurality of the other points.

Two or four players may play at the same time, and assuming that the starting point is New York, one of the players moves his game-piece 3 from the point indicating the capital city of New York to some other adjacent point, it being compulsory to follow on of the paths described by the lines 2. The next player then moves his gamepiece in a similar manner along any path which he may select, but no player may place his game-piece in a State already occupied by another game-piece. The players move in turn and each player keeps the score of his opponent, noting the name of each State as the game-piece is placed therein. These moves are continued until one of the game-pieces is moved to the finishing point which in this case would be the point indicating the capital city of California. The scores are then checked and the winner is the player who has touched the largest number of points 1 in the movement of his game-piece. It will be noted that each player is confronted upon substantially every movement of his game-piece with the problem of which line or path 2 it will be to his best advantage to follow. His attention is thus centered upon each of the points which his game-piece touches, and his skill is constantly [called upon to determine which paths will enable him to touch the largest number of points before his game-piece reaches the finishing point. If a player moves his game-piece twice into the same State, he is given two scores one for each visit. These points preferably have adjacent thereto some informative matter such as a statement of fact, principle, condition, or the like, in the-present instance the name of the capital city rep resented thereby. Also, the major industries, natural resources, and historical points and geographic character of the States are represented as indicated at .4, either pictorially or descriptively, or both, so that the players become familiar with the characters and industries of all of the States.

3 are preferably representations of aeroplanes and are formed with bases or pedestals 30 for supporting the game-pieces in an upright position on the playing surface. Thus, the players may imagine that they are piloting aeroplanes across the United States, and a consideration of the actual character of the territory between the points is a natural result.

The game-board or playing surface may be formed of any suitable material and in any suitable manner, but preferably is con-- structed'of heavy cardboard and in two sections B and C hingedly connected at D so as to be capable of compact folding to protect the playing surface.

It will thus be seen that the game embodying my invention will test therskill of the players, due to the possibility of selection of numerous paths of movement of the;

game-pieces and the restriction of one gamepiece to one point at one time, and at the same time serves educationally in impressing upon the players the facts, principles, conditions, etc., represented by the various points.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

An educational game including gamepieces in the form of miniature airships, and a playing surface consisting of a geographical map having natural resources, industries, historical and geographical objects pictorially illustrated in their proper respective, locations, and a plurality of points spacedly located on said surface and connected by lines representing courses of flight for sa1d miniature airships which are adapted to be moved on said lines from point to point over said pictorial illustrations.

MARDIOS H. 'MAGAR. 

